





















The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail 



a very nice one** 



THE TALE OF 

BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


BY 

LAURA ROUNTREE SMITH / 


I . 

ILLUSTRATED BY 

DOROTHY DULIN / 


1922 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


1905, 


CM>PYRIGHT. 



. ? 


. 1922, BY A. FLANAGAN OOMPANY 



NOV 20 ’22 

Cl A690309 



CONTENTS 

The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail 

Chapter I The Burnt Paw 9 

Chapter II The Runaway Bunny 16 

Chapter III The New Umbrella 22 

Chapter IV The Cabbage Patch 27 

Chapter V The Escape 33 

Chapter VI Time to Go to School 39 

Chapter VII Mr. Owl 44 

Chapter VIII The School Entertainment.... 51 

Chapter IX Thanksgiving 60 

Chapter X Being Good 65 

Chapter XI Christmas Eve 72 

Chapter XII The Tight Mittens 80 

Chapter XIII St. Valentine’s Day 86 

Chapter XIV A Fine Fox in a Trap 92 

The Three Misses Cotton-Tail 97 

How the King Rabbit Lost His Throne 114 

A Black and White Bunny 123 


Books by 

LAURA ROUNTREE 
SMITH 

The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Bunny Boy and Grizzly Bear 
Bunny Bright Eyes 
Three Little Cotton-Tails 
Little Bear 
Seventeen iLittle Bears 
Little Eskimo 

Mother Goose Stories in Prose 
Hawk Eye 
The Roly-Poly Book 
Bunny Cotton-Tail, Jr. 

The Circus Book 
The Circus Cotton-Tails 
Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes 
The Candy-Shop Cotton-Tails 
Children’s Favorite Stories 
The 'Cotton-Tails in Toyland 


Published by 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


“You and I should have thought this school a very nice one” 2 

“One evening Bunny Cotton-Tail read very late” 9 

“That awful creature and the moon were always staring at 

him!” 11 

“Took Bunny in his arms” 15 

‘ ‘ The big moon laughed and made a face at them ” 17 

“Some nice things she had saved for Bunny” 19 

“He ran fast, because he wanted to show Susan his new 

present ” 23 

“They blew soap-bubbles all the morning” 25 

“When Bunny heard the news, he cried into a little red 

handkerchief ” 28 

“Caught in a trap” 30 

“And there Susan fell asleep” 31 

“He did not dare to come out” 33 

‘ ^ Racing away down the road ” 37 

“And set him up in the corner” 39 

“Began to eat his lunch” 41 

“The dear little bell” 42 

“Turned his head around” 45 

“Mr. Owl had no more to say” 46 

“Mother Cotton-Tail stood very still” 47 

“Brushed his hair the wrong way” 53 


‘Just then he turned around and saw his shadow in the 

path’^ 57 

‘Paring potatoes and carrots for days^’ 61 

‘There was Bushy-Tail’’ 63 

‘A lady came to pick some flowers” 69 

‘Hanging up their stockings together” 73 

‘Down the chimney came that funny old man” 76 

‘He passed by Parmer Jones’s chickens and never even 

looked at them” 81 

‘They peeped out the window” 85 

‘Bunny cut out a valentine” 87 

‘He dropped in the valentine” 89 

‘There stood Susan Cotton-Tail with a little bag in her 

hand” 90 

‘Susan answered so softly that no one but Bunny could 

hear her” 95 

‘Jeanie and Nannie and Lolo became orphans” 99 

‘ She looked out of the window in the tower and called down 

to them” 101 

‘He knocked at the door, and Nannie popped her head out 

of one of the windows” 107 

‘I would have you know that I have a telephone in my 

house” Ill 

‘All he did from morning to night was to eat and scold”. . 115 

‘They ran back as fast as they could” 1^1 

‘Waiting to come in” 124 

‘He upset it, and fell on the floor” 127 



The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail 


“One evening Bunny Cotton-Tail read very late’’ 
CHAPTER I 
THE BURNT PAW 

If little Bunm^ Cotton-Tail had not 
read by candle-light, this story might 
never have been written. 

One evening Bunny Cotton-Tail 
read very late, and he was so excited 


10 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

over the story he was reading that he 
waved one paw too near the candle, 
and burned it sadly. Poor Bunny cried 
so loud that all the neighbors heard 
him, and came running in to see what 
was the matter. Have you ever cried so 
loud that you could be heard next 
door? 

Mother Cotton-Tail tied up the 
burned paw in a cabbage leaf and sent 
Bunny to bed. And what do you sup- 
pose that comical Bunny did? He 
liked the smell of the cabbage so well, 
that he ate the leaf all up, and his poor 
paw began to hurt worse than ever. 

This time he did not cry, for he was 
afraid he would be scolded for eating 
the cabbage leaf. He crept out of bed 
and ran out of the house. 

Mother Cotton-Tail never allowed 
little Bunny to go out late at night. 



^^That awful creature and 
the moon were always 
staring at liimF^ 


^ :=>vi.n 




12 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

SO now everything seemed very 
strange to him. He looked at the big 
moon, and he was afraid. He ran on 
for some time and he came to a beau- 
tiful garden. 

Here he saw more cabbages than he 
had ever dreamed of! There were big 
cabbages, little cabbages, and middle- 
sized cabbages. He was just going to 
have a nice meal when he looked up 
and saw a very tall creature waving its 
arms at him. 

Poor little Bunny was sadly fright- 
ened. He did not know that this big 
thing was only a scarecrow. He had 
never seen a scarecrow before, in all 
his life. But he had seen men, and his 
mother had told him that men did not 
like rabbits. Bunny thought the scare- 
crow was a man, and he quickly crept 
close to a big cabbage, to hide, and lay 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 13 

quite still for about fifteen minutes. 

Every now and then Bunny peeped 
out from among the cabbage leaves, 
and there that awful creature and the 
moon were, always staring at him! 

By and b^^ he decided to run home, 
and he started off as fast as his little 
legs would carry him. But the moon- 
light made him dizzy, and he took the 
wrong road. 

When daylight came, poor little 
Bunny Cotton-Tail was far from home, 
and soon a hunter came that way, and 
caught him. The hunter put Bunny 
in his bag and took him home for his 
little boy to play with. The little boy’s 
name was Harold. When his papa 
came in with Bunny, Harold clapped 
his hands for joy. Then the whole 
family gathered around and made re- 
marks about poor Bunny. 


14 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

“Why are his ears so long?” Harold 
asked. 

“To keep the flies off,” answered 
Uncle Jack. 

“He must have left his tail at home,” 
said big brother. 

“He looks scared. We must build 
him a house,” said papa. 

So they all went to work and made 
a nice house for Bunny, and big 
brother brought him a large leaf of 
cabbage to eat. 

Two big tears rolled down poor 
Bunny’s face, for the cabbage made 
him think of his fright in the garden, 
and his sore paw, and how he had left 
home. 

Then Harold took Bunny in his 
arms and hugged him, and that made 
the poor little rabbit feel better, and 
he fell asleep. 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 15 

When Harold put Bunny back in his 
box, he forgot to shut the door. He 
never thought that in the morning 
his new pet might 

Harold went to 
bed, but could not 
go to sleep for a 
long time. He 
kept thinking 
about Bunny. 

He could still 
feel his face press- 
ed against Bun- 
ny’s soft fur. At 

last he went to sleep, and dreamed rosy 
dreams about ten little cotton-tails. 

When Bunny runs away to roam. 
Some one is sure to bring him home. 
So Bunny should be good, I say. 

And not go out and run away. 




CHAPTER II 

THE RUNAWAY BUNNY 

Late that night Bunny Cotton-Tail 
made up his mind to run away. So he 
crept out of his little house, and 
through a hole in the back fence, and 
was off. The great moon was staring 
down at him, and he was very much 
afraid of the moon, but he could not 
go very fast, for his paw still hurt him 
and he limped sadly. 

16 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


17 


After a while 
he sat down on a 
log to rest, and 
whom did he see 
coming down the 
road with a 
wheelbarrow but 
Mother Cotton- 
Tail? She had 
been searching 
all night and all 
day for Bunny. 

When Bunny 
saw his 
mother he 
clapped 
his paws together 
so hard that 
hurt his sore one, 
and he cried: 
“Oh, ma, oh, ma!” 



''The big moon laughed and 
made a face at them'' 


18 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Mother Cotton-Tail did not waste 
any words, for Mr. Fox is out in the 
woods at night. She just tumbled 
Bunny into that old wheelbarrow, and 
whisk! they went down the road, while 
the big moon laughed and made a face 
at them. 

When they got home all the rabbits 
in the neighborhood stood around the 
gate, and they all cried: “Hurrah! wel- 
come home. Bunny!” 

Bunny was so ashamed that he 
hung his head and waved his sore paw 
feebly. Then his mother took him 
into the house and put him to bed. 

Poor Bunny was so shaken up by 
the ride in that wheelbarrow that 
he did not sleep very well, and next 
day he had to stay at home with 
his mother while all the other rabbits 
went to a picnic. 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


19 


After supper, when he was sitting 
up in a big armchair by the window, 
whom should he 
see coming 
slowly up the 
road but his dear 
friend Susan Cot- 
ton-Tail? Susan 
Cotton-Tail 
walked slowly 
because she was 
very tired. The 
rabbits had 
tramped miles 

and miles on that “Some nice things she had 
saved for Bunny" 

Susan Cotton-Tail carried some- 
thing on her arm. At first Bunny 
thought it was a bag, and then he saw 
it was a basket. What do you suppose 
Susan Cotton-Tail had in that basket? 



20 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

She had some nice things that she had 
saved for Bunny, from the picnic. 

When Susan saw Bunny sitting by 
the window, she did not stop to go 
around to the front door, as her mother 
had trained her to do. She jumped 
right in through the window, and took 
a seat on the arm of Bunny’s chair. 

Have you ever had to stay at home 
from a picnic when all the other chil- 
dren went? And did you have a dear 
friend who brought you some of the 
good things to eat? If so, you know 
just how Bunny felt. 

Susan Cotton-Tail had sandwiches 
in that basket, and cabbage leaves and 
radishes, and little cookies cut in the 
shape of a rabbit. (One of the mother 
rabbits had made these for a joke.) 

After a nice visit Susan said she 
must go home and do some sewing. 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


21 


Susan wanted to go and pick berries 
next day. Bunny asked his mother if 
he might go too, and she said he 
might, if he would try to be a good 
little rabbit after this. Bunny prom- 
ised, and then he went with Susan to 
the gate. 


As Mr. Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Went walking down the street. 

It was his great good fortune 
Susan Cotton-Tail to meet. 

Said Susan, “My dear Bunny, 

If you would only try 
To open wide your parasol. 

Your fur would keep quite dry!” 



CHAPTER III 
THE NEW UMBRELLA 


The next day, when Bunny Cotton- 
Tail woke up, he heard the rain pat- 
tering against the window panes. He 
cried so loud, and his tears fell so fast, 
that his little brother thought the roof 
was leaking! 

Mother Cotton-Tail said it would do 
no good to cry about the rain, and she 
went to the closet and brought out a 

22 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


23 



ran fast, because he ncanted to show Susan his 
new presenf^ 


beautiful new silk umbrella. She had 
bought it for a birthday present for 
Bunny, but to quiet him she let him 
take it out in the rain. 

Now, Bunny was not a very careful 
little rabbit, so he did not wait to learn 
how to open it, but ran out of the house 
and down the road with the umbrella 


24 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

in his paw. That is the reason you see 
him so in the picture. He ran fast, be- 
cause he wanted to show Susan his 
new present. 

Now, wasn’t it odd that on that very 
same morning Susan Cotton-Tail cried 
when she saw the rain, and that 
her mother gave her a beautiful new 
umbrella? 'But Susan was a careful 
rabbit, and learned how to open and 
use the umbrella before she went out. 

Susan had left her basket at Bunny’s 
house the night before, so her mother 
said she might go after it. That is the 
way the two rabbits happened to 
meet. 

Bunny was delighted when Susan 
showed him how^ to open his umbrella, 
and they stood there some time, talk- 
ing in the rain. Of course it was too 
wet to go for berries, but they wanted 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


25 



to have some fun, so 
they decided to go to 
Bunn y’s house and 
hlow soap bubbles. 

On the way home 
they passed a nice gar- 
den. Farmer Jones 
was out working in it 
that morning. Bunny 
wished very much for 
a bite of cabbage, 
so he 


^^They blew soap-bubbles all the morning” 


26 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

begged Susan to come and hide be- 
hind the raspberry bushes, so that 
they could nibble something while 
Farmer Jones was not looking. Now 
Susan was a good little rabbit, and she 
knew that to steal is very wrong, so 
she said, “No,” 

Then Susan and Bunny went on to 
Bunny’s house, and here they blew 
soap-bubbles all the morning. 


Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Should not try to roam 
In Farmer Jones’s cabbage-patch; 
He ought to stay at home. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE CABBAGE PATCH 

Next day. Bunny went over to 
Susan’s house and found Susan’s 
mother crying, and what do you sup- 
pose had happened? Why, Susan 
Cotton-Tail had not come home, and 
her mother was afraid she might be 
lost. 

When Bunny heard the news, he 
cried into a little red handkerchief that 

27 


28 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 



''JFhen Bunny heard the neu's, he cried into a little 
red handkerchief^ 


he had wrapped around his sore paw, 
and he said he wished to die if Susan 
Cotton-Tail could not be found! 

Now Bunny knew that old Farmer 
Jones hated the sight of even his little 
stubby tail, so he thought the quickest 
way for him to die would be to run 
over into the farmer’s garden. 

He told Susan’s mother good-by, 
waved his sore paw feebly, and set out 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 29 

for the garden. He thought that if 
he must die he would eat some cab- 
bage first, and he was nibbling away 
when he heard some one whisper 
his name very softly. 

At first he thought it was Marie, 
Farmer Jones’s little girl, so he curled 
right up close beside a cabbage, and 
did not say a word. He peeped around 
the cabbage, and he could see Farmer 
Jones’s blue shirt, and once in a while 
he could hear him whistle. 

Then he heard a soft little voice say: 
“Bunny, Bunny, Bunny.” He looked 
over by the raspberry bushes, and 
what do you suppose he saw? There 
was Susan Cotton-Tail, caught in a 
trap! 

When Bunny saw Susan he forgot 
all about Farmer Jones, and he gave a 
loud squeal, just the same kind of a 


30 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


squeal he gave when he burned his 
paw. Farmer Jones came running, 
and cried: “Ah, ha! I have caught 
the rabbit at last!” 

Bunny had just time to jump into 
a flower-pot, and Farmer Jones found 
poor Susan in the trap. 



"Caught in a trap 

just 

eyes and smiled at him. 


“Now,” said 
Farmer Jones, “I 
have caught the 
naughty rabbit 
that eats my cab- 
bages, and I have 
a great mind to 
kill it!” 

But he did not 
kill Susan — oh, 
my, no -for she 
blinked her 
She was not 


the least bit afraid; and why should 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


31 



she have been, when she had never 
stolen anything from Farmer Jones in 
her life? 

Just then Marie came running out 
into the garden, and Farmer Jones 
said: 

“See, Marie, I have caught the 
naughty rabbit that has been eating 


32 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


my cabbages, and she looks as though 
she had never done anything wrong in 
her life ” 

“Oh, the sweet little thing!” cried 
Marie. “Let me have her for a pet, 
and I will put a pretty blue ribbon 
around her neck.” 

So Marie took Susan up in her little 
apron and carried her, very gently and 
carefully, into the house. She made 
room for the little rabbit in her doll’s 
bed, and there Susan fell asleep. 


Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Is running home, you see. 
And Miss Susan Cotton-Tail 
Keeps him company. 



CHAPTER V 
THE ESCAPE 


“He did not dare to come out’’ 

What did Bunny Cotton-Tail do 
then, do you suppose? He felt so sorry 
about Susan that he cried nearly all 
day, and he was so afraid of Farmer 
Jones now, that he did not dare to 
come out of the flower pot! The flower 

33 


34 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

pot had rolled over on one side, so he 
was quite hidden. 

Now it happened that Marie had a 
nice flower-bed in front of the house, 
and a friend had given her a new plant 
to set out. So she began to look for a 
flower pot to cover it. Of course, you 
can guess what happened. Marie 
found Bunny Cotton-Tail, the flower 
pot and all! “Oh, papa, here is another 
bunny! They must be twins,” she 
cried. 

Farmer Jones came up, and when 
he saw how scared poor little Bunny 
looked, he laughed. He said if they 
put the two rabbits together, they 
could soon tell whether they knew 
each other or not. So Marie carried 
Bunny into the house. 

Susan Cotton-Tail had fallen asleep 
in the doll’s bed, so Marie slipped 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 35 

Bunny in beside her, and he pretended 
to go to sleep, too. Farmer Jones said 
this proved that they knew each 
other; for if they had been strange rab- 
bits, they would have fought. 

Night came on, and the big clock in 
the hall struck twelve, and Susan woke 
up. She was so delighted to find 
Bunny beside her, that she almost 
screamed for joy, but Bunny put one 
little soft paw over her mouth, for he 
was afraid she would waken some one, 
and he was already planning how they 
could get away from Farmer Jones’s 
house. 

He told Susan that he had heard 
the cook say she would leave the 
pantr3^ window open to keep her pre- 
serves cool, so, if they could only find 
the pantry, they might escape. 

Susan listened so eagerly that her 


36 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

ears flopped on the side of the doll’s 
bed as though she were keeping time 
to a tune. 

Bunny stole out of bed, and began 
to search for the pantry. He told 
Susan to wait until he came back for 
her. 

The moon was not shining, and it 
was very dark. Bunny felt his way 
along carefully, till he came to the sit- 
ting-room. Here he saw a big black 
box, beside a window, and it looked to 
him as though the window were open. 
Up he jumped on the box, to make 
sure, and crash! he fell on something 
that played a tune! The quicker he 
ran up and down, the louder the tune 
was, and the louder the tune was, the 
more scared Bunny was, and the more 
he ran up and down. 

Farmer Jones waked up and could 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


37 


not think what all the noise meant. 
He jumped out of bed and ran down 
stairs two steps at a time, with a 
candle in his hand. He found Bunny 
dancing about on the piano keys, and 
he laughed till he cried. 

Then he called the wnole family 
down stairs to see the strange sight. 
Everybody laughed and petted Bunny, 
and the more they laughed, the more 
scared he was, until he saw Susan 
peeping around a curtain at him. 

Then he gave 
one bound for 
the open win- 
dow. Susan 
followed him, 
quick as a flash, 
and whisk! the 
two frightened 

little rabbits the road'' 



38 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

were racing away down the road be- 
fore one of the family could say “Jack 
Robinson,” 

What Farmer Jones and the family 
thought about it I cannot say, but I 
can tell you that Susan and Bunny 
were very careful never to go into his 
garden again. 


Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Should have gone to school to-day. 
He cried so hard he could not see, 
And went the other way! 



CHAPTER VI 

TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL 

When Susan’s 
mother saw 
Susan, she laugh- 
ed and she cried. 
Then she put 
Susan to bed, and 
there the poor lit- 
tle rabbit stayed 
for a week, and 
then it was time 
for school to be- 
gin. 

When Bunny’s 
mother saw him, she switched him 
with a little maple switch and set him 
up in the corner until he told the 
whole story. 



''And set him up in the 
corner' 


89 


40 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Bunny ran away so much, you see, 
that his mother was quite used to it, 
while Susan was a good rabbit and had 
never before run away from home. 

The week passed, and then Bunny’s 
mother said Bunny must go to school. 
For rabbits have to go to school if they 
want to learn anything, of course! 

So she put up a nice little lunch for 
Bunny, and gave his coat an extra 
brush. She brushed him so hard that 
he cried a little, and went down the 
road with his dinner pail on his arm, 
brushing the tears away with his sore 
paw! 

Bunny never did like to go to school 
very well, so when he stopped crying, 
and found that he had taken the 
wrong road and was going into the 
woods, he was not sorry at all. 

He went on a little way and saw 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


41 


some squirrels. They seemed to be 
having a very good time, and Bunny 
sat down to watch them at their play. 
Then he opened his basket and began 
to eat his lunch, 
for he was always 
hungry. 

He was so tired 
then, after his 
long tramp, that 
he fell asleep, and 
he never opened 
his eyes until he 
heard a soft 
“tinkle, tinkle, 
tinkle.” He opened his eyes, and there 
stood Susan Cotton-Tail smiling at 
him. 



^^Began to eat his lufich^' 


Bunny did not know where he was, 
at first, but he rubbed his eyes hard, 
and then he asked Susan where she 


42 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 



had got the dear little bell that hung 
around her neck. Susan said it was a 
reward given her 
by her teacher 
for good behav- 
ior. Then Bunny 
was sorry that he 
had not gone to 
school, for he 
liked the “tinkle, 
tinkle” of that 
bell. 

Susan said that 
all the rabbits 
were out look- 
ing for Bunny, 
and that they 

“The dear little bell” thought him Very 

naughty. 

When Bunny got home, he said that 
he would go to school now every day 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


43 


if Susan might stop for him. It worked 
well for a week, then that naughty 
Bunny got up early and went down 
to watch the little fishes swimming in 
the brook. All the rabbits went out to 
look for him and found him and took 
him home, as before. 

That night Mother Cotton-Tail sat 
by the fire a long time, thinking. Pres- ^ 
ently, she crept softly out of the house, 
shutting the door behind her. 



CHAPTER VII 
MR. OWL 

Mother Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Seeks Mr. Owl, you see, 

And little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Is scared as scared can be. 

Now, what do you suppose Mother 
Bunny was going to do? She was go- 
ing to find Mr. Owl, who is the wisest 

44 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


45 


creature in the woods. And why was 
she going to find Mr. Owl? Because 
she wanted to ask him how to stop 
Bunny Cotton- 
Tail from running 
away. 

Mr. Owl was at 
home, as usual, 
sitting on a 
branch of an old 
pine-tree. When 
Mother Cotton- 
Tail told her 
story, he blinked his round eyes and 
turned his head all the way around to 
hide a smile. He had heard of Bunny 
Cotton-Tail before. 

Mr. Owl did not talk very much; 
wise people never do. So he answered 
Mother Cotton-Tail with two words: 
“Mr. Fox.” 



^^Turned his head around^^ 


46 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 



Mother Cotton-Tail did not see 
what that meant, but Mr. Owl had no 
more to say, so she started slowly 
homeward. 

On the way home she passed Mr. 
Fox’s den. There she saw an old over- 
coat of his out on the line. Then, 
whisk! jump! as quick as a wink she 
had that overcoat down from the line. 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


47 



and was off, 
carrying it over 
her shoulder. 

When she was 
safely away from 
Mr. Fox’s den, she 
crept into the 
coat, though it 
was much too big. 


Mother Cotton-Tail stood very stilV^ 


48 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


and doubled her ears up neatly inside 
his cap. 

She looked ahead of her, and what 
did she see, coming down the road, 
but a little rabbit-a naughty, run- 
away little rabbit? She knew at once 
that it was her own Bunny. 

Mother Cotton-Tail stood very still 
in the shadow of a tree, and when 
Bunny came by, she whisked out, and 
took him in her arms and started 
straight for Mr. Fox’s den. 

Bunny Cotton-Tail was so scared 
that he did not say a word, but he 
thought he felt his hair turning gray, 
and that was a pity for one so young! 

When they got near the den. Mother 
Cotton-Tail stopped. Everything was 
very still. 

“Now, Bunny,” she said, “you shall 
go in there, and we will eat you up 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 49 

unless you promise never to run away 
any more.” 

Did Bunny promise? Well, indeed 
he did, in a hurry! And Mother Cot- 
ton-Tail told him that all the foxes 
knew about it and would catch him if 
he ever ran away again. 

Then she gave him a big hug, 
which scared him nearly to death. 
Think of his being scared when his 
own mother hugged him! But you see, 
he thought she was Mr. Fox. Then she 
let Bunny go, and he ran straight 
home. 

Mother Cotton-Tail put Mr. Fox’s 
coat back on the line and went home, 
too, very happy. 

Bunny Cotton-Tail never ran away 
from home any more. So Mr. Owl 
knew what he was talking about, after 
all. 


50 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Bunny and Susan were always the 
best of friends, but whether his sore 
paw ever got well or not, I can not 
tell you, for I forgot to ask him. 


When little Bunny was quite small. 
He read by candle-light; 

But now that he has grown up tall. 
He goes to bed at night! 




CHAPTER VIII 


SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT 

Friday morning at seven 
Bunny O^tton-Tail’s mother 
“Come Bunny, it is time to get 

She called him three times. Bunny 
was not asleep, but he hated to get up 
in the morning, so he did not answer. 
Do you always get up the first time 
you are called? 


THE 

One 

o’clock 

called: 


51 


52 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

That same Friday morning Susan 
Cotton-Tail’s mother called her, and 
Susan was up and dressed in a twink- 
ling. 

Now, why do you suppose Bunny 
and Susan were called early that Fri- 
day morning? There was to be an 
entertainment at the school, and 
Bunny and Susan were to speak 
pieces. 

Little Bunny was very lazy. He 
heard the clock strike half-past seven, 
and then eight. It was a quarter past 
eight when Susan called for him, and 
he was still in bed. 

Susan always gave a funny little 
call, and he knew her voice at once. 
He jumped up quickly and pressed 
his furry little nose against the win- 
dow-pane, and called: “Wait a minute, 
Susan, I shall soon be ready to go.” 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 53 

How Bunny Cotton-Tail did hurry 
to get dressed! In his haste he brushed 
his hair the wrong way, and it made 
him look very funny. Bunny Cotton- 
Tail could hurry 
when he tried, so 
it was just half- 
past eight when 
he ran down 
stairs and told 
Susan that he 
was ready to go. 

“We must walk 
fast, or we shall 
be 1 a t e,” said 
Susan. Just as 

she said the word “Brushed hts hair the 

((I j> 1 1 wrong way 

late, down she 

fell with a bump, and got her white 
collar all soiled! 

Bunny helped her up and brushed 



54 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

her off the best he could with his little 
pocket handkerchief. Two big tears 
rolled out of Susan’s eyes. 

“I like to speak pieces,” said Bunny, 
to cheer her up. 

“I don’t,” said Susan, and she sniffed 
a little as she thought of her collar. 

It was late when Bunny and Susan 
got to the school. All the visitors were 
there. Bunny and Susan crept to their 
seats. The teacher rang a hare-bell, 
and the exercises began. The pupils 
spoke pieces and sang songs. 

You and I should have thought 
this school a very nice one, I am sure. 
It was in the woods, at the mouth of 
a cave. The teacher sat just inside the 
cave, and all the little rabbits sat on 
the ground outside. 

They read their lessons from the 
leaves of the trees, and once in a while 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


55 


a very bright rabbit read out of a book. 

Bunny Cotton-Tail was the bright- 
est pupil in the school. He loved to 
read and to recite pieces. He had 
read ever since he was very small. 
That is the way he happened to burn 
his paw, you remember. 

Bunny now sat up very straight, for 
it was Susan’s turn to speak. 

Susan Cotton-Tail began: 

'‘Down in the green woods, far away, 

A little rabbit went out to play/' — 

Here poor Susan stopped short. She 
was thinking about her soiled collar, 
and she could not remember another 
word of the piece. 

"He said. Til have a holiday,’ ” 

whispered Bunny, very loud, and 
Susan began all over again: 


56 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

“Down in the green woods, far away, 

A little rabbit went out to play. 

He said, ^Fll have a holiday, 

And with all woodland folk be gay,^ 

But Mr. Fox was — ’’ 

Susan stopped again. This time she 
would not even try to go on. With a 
sniff, and all the time thinking of her 
collar, she tip-toed to her seat. 

The exercises were long, and Bunny 
Cotton-Tail was the very last to speak. 
He had a piece of seventeen verses, 
and he knew every line. 

The piece was about a sly old fox, 
and Bunny spoke it so well that one 
little rabbit shivered with fear, for she 
thought she saw a pair of green eyes 
shining through the bushes. When he 
had finished everybody clapped, and 
he had to say the last verse over again. 

Just as the rabbits were all ready 
to go home, Bushy-Tail, the fox, came 



^‘Just then he turned around and saw his shadow 

in the path” 


58 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

trotting up and said: “Good-evening, 
friends. Is any one going my way? I 
do not like to walk home alone.” 

All the little rabbits were afraid, and 
all the, big rabbits were afraid, and I 
do not know what would have hap- 
pened if the old moon had not come 
out just then. The exercises had been 
so long that they had lasted all day. 

Bushy-Tail laughed and waved his 
big tail, and just then he turned 
around and saw his shadow in the 
path. Now Bushy-Tail was really a 
great coward, and when he saw his 
shadow he was so frightened that 
he turned and ran away as fast as his 
legs could carry him. Then all the 
rabbits hurried away home. 

“I don’t like the looks of that fox,” 
said Susan Cotton-Tail, as she and 
Bunny were running down the road. 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 59 

“I am glad he saw his shadow,” 
Bunny replied. 

Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Gives Susan a surprise. 

How does he learn his lessons well? 
’Tis just because he tries! 

Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Said, “I wish for fame!” 

And Miss Susan Cotton-Tail 
Said, “I wish the same.” 

I could tell what happened, 

Yes, without a doubt, 

But just then the curtain fell, 
And the lights went out. 



CHAPTER IX 
THANKSGIVING 


Little Bunny Cotton-Tail had heard 
so much about Thanksgiving that he 
was tired of it. Besides, he did not like 
company, and his mother was going 
to have all his aunts and cousins to 
dinner. 

Bunny had been paring potatoes 
and carrots for days. In fact, he had 

60 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 61 



used a knife so much that his paw was 
lame again. (This was the same paw 
that he had burned once.) 

Little Bunny Cotton-Tail had been 
working all day when Susan came by 
and asked him to take a walk. His 
mother said he might go for a walk, 
but that he must be home by supper 
time. She untied the apron he had 
on, and Bunny and Susan went skip- 
ping down the road. 

“Do you like Thanksgiving?” asked 
Bunny. 


62 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Susan blinked her eyes and said she 
did not know; she had not thought 
much about it. 

“By the way,” said Susan, “how do 
you learn such long pieces?” 

“I don’t know; I guess it is because I 
read by candle-light,” said Bunny, and 
they both laughed. 

Bunny said he wanted to cross a 
marshy field and get a fine cabbage he 
had seen some days before. Susan said 
she hated to get her feet wet, but on 
they went, across the marshy field and 
into a garden where fine cabbages 
grew. 

“Hush! keep close to me,” said 
Bunny, “here comes Bushy -Tail down 
the garden path.” 

Sure enough, there was Bushy-Tail, 
proudly waving his tail and talking to 
himself as he went along. 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


63 


“My, I feel so hungry! I wish I could 
find a nice, fat rabbit to eat,” said he. 
“I wish some one would invite me to a 
Thanksgiving dinner.” 

Susan Cotton-Tail had a most un- 
fortunate habit of sneezing, and just 
at this moment she sneezed — not once, 
but half a dozen times: “A-kitch-chew! 
a-kitch-chew!” How that rabbit did 
sneeze! 



^ There was Bushy- 
T aiV^ 


“I will catch you,” cried 
Bushy-Tail, but little Cot- 
ton-Tail walked right out 
in the path and said, “Are 
you the fox that 
said that about 
sour grapes?” 

Bushy-Tail 
said that that fox 
was his cousin, 
but he hoped 


64 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

some day to say something clever and 
have his sayings put in a book. He 
said he belonged to a very clever 
family. 

“Then,” said Bunny, “perhaps you 
can tell us why that tree on the hill 
has a door in it, and perhaps you can 
tell us what is inside.” 

Bushy-Tail felt ashamed that he 
could not tell. He said he would go 
and find out, so, whisk, bound! he was 
off, waving his beautiful tail as he 
went. 

“Now scamper!” cried Bunny to 
Susan. So the two rabbits ran home as 
fast as their legs could carry them. 

“Good-by,” called Susan from her 
gate. 

“Good-by,” Bunny answered. 
“Don’t expect to see me to-morrow; I 
am going to run away.” 


CHAPTER X 
BEING GOOD 

Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Resolves that he’ll be good, 
And occupies his bed at night, 
As all good bunnies should. 


“Now, Bunny,” said Bunny Cotton- 
Tail’s mother that evening, “I want 
you to be good, and to-morrow, when 
the company comes, you may go out- 
side and sit with Susan.” 

65 


66 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Bunny Cotton-Tail did not answer; 
he was reading a fairy tale. 

“You will have to get up early to 
help me,” went on Mother Cotton-Tail, 
“so scamper off to bed, like a good boy! 
And be sure to wash your face and see 
that your paws are clean.” 

Bunny did not answer; he was still 
reading the fairy tale. Mother Cotton- 
Tail took up the candle and held it 
very near him. Then Bunny let his 
book fall and ran away to bed. There 
was nothing in this wide world that 
could scare him as a candle could. You 
see, he remembered his burned paw. 

When every one had gone to sleep 
Bunny climbed out of bed. As he 
pulled up his curtain, he thought 
the moon made a face at him. “No 
Thanksgiving dinner for me!” he said 
to himself, and he started down stairs. 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 67 

Why do noises always sound so loud 
in the night? The stairs creaked so 
that Bunny’s mother heard them. 

Mother Cotton-Tail had suspected 
that Bunny meant to run away, so she 
pricked up her ears and called him 
into her room. They had a long talk, 
and at last Mother Cotton-Tail said 
that Bunny might go off and be gone 
till after Thanksgiving. She said that 
as she had told him he might go, it was 
not like running away. 

So Bunny Cotton-Tail went out of 
the house and down the road. He had 
not gone far when patter, patter, pat- 
ter, came four feet behind him. He 
turned around and there stood Bushv- 
Tail. 

Bunny was very much frightened, 
but he said, “Good-evening,” and 
Bushy-Tail told him that he had 


68 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

found a hole in the tree on the hill, but 
that he could find no door. 

“Let’s go there now,” said Bushy 
Tail. 

So to the tree they went. There was 
a hole in the tree large enough to hold 
Bushy-Tail. 

“I think there is money in there,” 
said Bunny. Bushy-Tail went in and 
begged Bunny to wait. Bunny said he 
would wait if he did not get tired, but 
he got tired very easily now-a-days. 

As soon as Bushy-Tail had gone 
into the tree Bunny Cotton-Tail gave a 
bound, and was off and away! The 
moon looked down at him, and he 
laughed at his own shadow as he 
hopped along. 

“I wonder where I shall take my 
Thanksgiving dinner,” he said. “I 
have had bad luck in gardens,” Just 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 69 

then he saw a green-house. He loved 
the smell of flowers, so as the door was 
open a little bit, in he crept. 

All night long Bunny Cotton-Tail 
slept in the green-house, and all of 
Thanksgiving Day he spent there. 
Once, he had to hide back of a rose- 
bush, when a lady came to pick some 
flowers. 

Late in the evening he was feeling 
very hungry, and he saw some crusts 
of bread outside the green-house door. 

He crept out and 
was just taking a 
bite, when a great 
black dog came 
bounding up and 
bit his ear! 

Then Bunny 
Cotton-Tail 
wailed and 



** A lady came to pick some 
flowers^^ 


70 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

howled. A little boy came and called 
the dog off, and poor Bunny went cry- 
ing down the road. 

He had had rather a lonely day, 
and his ear hurt so now that a little 
stream of water ran out of each eye, 
and he wiped his face with his little 
pocket handkerchief. 

When at last Bunny Cotton-Tail 
reached home, his mother bathed his 
poor ear, and gave him a bowl of soup 
and put him to bed. All the next day 
he stayed in bed, for his ear hurt all 
the time. 

He wrote out these words on a large 
card, which he showed to Susan 
when she called to see him: 

“Resolved: That I will stay at home 
every night.” 

When Mother Cotton-Tail saw this 
she laughed and said that Christmas 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL ^ 71 

was coming. But Susan Cotton-Tail 
believed that he meant to be good, 
though Christmas was indeed coming. 

Did Bunny Cotton-Tail ever go out 
at night again, do you suppose? 



CHAPTER XI 
CHRISTMAS EVE 

Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Said, “This is Christmas Eve,” 

And Susan Cotton-Tail replied, 
“That’s true, I do believe!” 

And so they hung their stockings up. 
And scampered off to bed. 

Did Santa Claus remember them? 
Why, yes, of course he did! 


Four weeks passed by, and then it 
was Christmas Eve. Susan Cotton- 
Tail had come to spend the night with 
Bunny, for her mother had gone away. 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


73 



^^Hanging up their stockings together*^ 

So Bunny and Susan were hanging up 
their stockings together. 

“I wonder what Santa Claus will 
bring us,” said Susan. 

“I hope I shan’t get any switches,” 
said Bunny. Just then, a tap, tap, tap, 
was heard at the window. There stood 
Bushy-Tail. He wanted to come in 
and warm his paws. 

“Really, we are very busy, and can 


74 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

not let you in,” said Bunny. Bushy- 
Tail began to recite poetry. He waited 
patiently outside. 

“He really is very bright,” said 
Bunny, “but I like him better with the 
window between us!” 

Bushy-Tail grew tired of waiting, 
and he said if Bunny did not open the 
window he would break the glass and 
jump in. 

“Nb, no,” said Bunny, “you must go 
home now, and we will hang up a 
stocking for you, and write your name 
on it, so that Santa Claus will bring 
you a present.” 

Bushy-Tail said this sounded well, 
but he would not believe them until 
Bunny showed him the paper marked 
“Bushy-Tail,” and then went and 
pinned it on the stocking. 

“How shall I get my present?” 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 75 

Bushy -Tail asked. 

“We will put it outside the door,” 
said Bunny. Then Bushy-Tail went 
off. 

“What do you think of Bushy-Tail?” 
asked Susan. 

“I believe he is pretty sly,” an- 
swered Bunny. 

Then Bunny said that they ought to 
put a candle in the window so that 
Santa Claus could see, but he was 
afraid to touch the candle. Susan said 
she was not afraid, so she lifted the 
candle off the table and set it in the 
window-sill. Then those two dear lit- 
tle rabbits went off to bed. 

“Whistle, if you fall asleep first,” 
said Bunny, and Susan giggled. 

And did Santa Claus see the light in 
the window? And did he bring pres- 
ents for Bunny and Susan? 


76 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Of course he did! Patter, patter, 
patter, came the reindeer on the roof. 
Jingle, jingle, jingle, went Santa’s 


sleigh-bells. Then, 




^^Down the chimney came 
that funny old man' 


down the chimney 
came that funny 
old man. 

He filled Su- 
san’s stocking 
full, and he filled 
Bunny’s stocking 
full. On the top 
of Bunny’s stock- 
ing he put a 
switch. The 
switch was made 
of peppermint 
candy and Santa 
Claus put it there 
for a joke. The 
old man likes to 
have fun, you 
know! 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 77 

Then, he looked at the stocking 
they had hung up for Bushy-Tail. Old 
Santa Claus whistled softly and shook 
his head. “Bushy-Tail ought to have 
a trap!” he said. 

Santa Claus sat down on a stool to 
think. All of a sudden, he began to 
laugh. He laughed so hard that 
he nearly fell off the stool. Then he 
took a little pair of magic mittens out 
of his pack, and put them in the stock- 
ing for Bushy-Tail. 

Some little mice peeped out of their 
holes and wondered what Santa Claus 
was laughing at. He did not tell them. 
He only puts his pack on his back, and, 
whisk! up the chimney he was off and 
away. Next morning Bunny and Susan 
waked up early, and they both cried at 
once: “Let us go and look in our stock- 
ings!” 


78 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

And the two rabbits had so much 
fun that they almost forgot to look and 
see what Santa Claus had left for 
Bushy-Tail. When they did look, they 
said the mittens were pretty, and 
would keep Bushy’s paws warm. They 
laid the stocking, with the mittens in 
it, on the door-step. 

Bunny liked all of his presents ex- 
cept the switch, and he would not 
touch it until Susan came and bit off 
one end. Then, when Bunny saw that 
it was a candy switch, he laughed so 
hard that hp rolled over in a little 
bunch on the floor. 

“Oh, oh,” said Susan, “come here!” 
And “Oh, oh,” said Bunny, “what is 
the matter?” 

And what was the matter? There 
was Mr. Bushy-Tail dancing up and 
down in the snow outside. He had on 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 79 

the little magic mittens, and the 
harder he tried to get them off, the 
more they squeezed his paws. 

“Oh, oh, they are too tight!” cried 
Bushy-Tail. He danced so hard that 
he soon danced himself out of sight, 
and Bunny and Susan laughed until 
they cried. 



CHAPTER XII 
THE TIGHT MITTENS 

Bushy-Tail is sad because 
He is not loved by Santa Claus. 

So off into the woods he goes, 

And where he journeys no one knows. 


When any of the animals were in 
trouble they went to Mr. Owl for ad- 
vice. Bushy-Tail was going to find 
Mr. Owl. 

He wanted to ask Mr. Owl how to 
get rid of the tight mittens Santa Claus 
sent him. 

He passed by Farmer Jones’s chick- 
ens and never even looked at them. 

80 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


81 



''He passed by Farmer Jones s chickens and never 
even looked at them^^ 


He went on into the woods, and every 
little while he would say: ‘‘Oh, my 
poor paws! Oh, my tight mittens!” 


82 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

Now, Bushy-Tail was not angry with 
Bunny and Susan. He knew that 
Santa Claus had sent him the mittens, 
and he felt that Santa Claus did not 
love him. (Santa Claus does not love 
any one who is sly!) 

All this time, Bushy-Tail was going 
farther into the woods. Presently he 
saw Mr. Owl up in a tree. He stopped, 
and began to howl, but Mr. Owl only 
blinked his eyes and did not notice 
him. 

“Won’t you help me, at all?” Bushy- 
Tail cried. 

Then Mr. Owl cleared his throat and 
asked: “How many chickens did you 
steal last week? And whose little pig 
did you catch yesterday?” 

Then Bushy-Tail was so ashamed 
that he hung his head. All the time his 
little magic mittens pinched his paws 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 83 

tighter and tighter. He jumped up 
and down in the snow. 

“Oh, Mr. Owl, I will be good,” he 
said. Mr. Owl sat in the tree, looking 
very wise. 

“Will you promise not to steal for a 
whole week, and will you leave all 
the Cotton-Tail family alone?” he 
asked. 

“I will promise anything, if you will 
take these horrid mittens off,” said 
Bushy-Tail. 

Mr. Owl gave a shrill whistle, and 
soon two black crows came flying up. 
Mr. Owl made Bushy-Tail stand up 
against a tree, and he had the crows 
pull hard at the mittens. The crows 
had nice long beaks, and they were 
splendid fellows to pull, but it was 
hard to take off those tight little mit- 
tens without hurting Bushy-Tail’s 


84 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

paws; besides, he was in such a hurry 
to get them off that he could not stand 
still, but kept jumping up and down 
in the snow all the time. 

At last, with a great pull, off the 
mittens came! Bushy-Tail was so 
happy to have his paws free once more 
that he danced away and never even 
stopped to say: “Thank you.” 

“Remember your promise,” called 
the owl, but Bushy-Tail did not hear 
him, as he had bounded away very 
fast, waving his beautiful silver tail as 
he went. 

The two crows flew away, each with 
a mitten in his beak. Mr. Owl went to 
sleep again. He did not like to be dis- 
turbed in the daytime. 

Bunny and Susan were so excited 
over the presents Santa Claus had 
brought them that they never thought 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


85 



^^They peeped out the window^* 


of Bushy-Tail again that day. 

Susan spent that night, too, with 
Bunny, and just as they were ready to 
jump into bed. Bunny said: “What is 
that?” And Susan said: “It sounds like 
Bushy-Tail rapping at the window.” 

They peeped out and there, sure 
enough, was Bushy-Tail dancing in 
the snow. They saw that his little 
magic mittens were gone. 


CHAPTER XIII 
ST. VALENTINE’S DAY 

Little Bunny Cotton-Tail 
Wrote a valentine; 

It said, “Dear Susan Cotton-Tail, 
Will you not be mine?” 

And Miss Susan Cotton-Tail 
Never wrote a line. 


Susan Cotton-Tail had gone away 
for part of the winter, and Bunny 
missed her very much. He often 
thought he would write her a letter, 
and now that St. Valentine’s Day was 
coming, he said to himself: “I will 
make Susan a valentine!” 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


S. 


So Bunny sat down before his little 
table and cut out a valentine. Inside 
he wrote a verse. 

You would not believe me if I should 
tell you how many times poor Bunny 
was inter- 
rupted. First, 
his mother call- 
ed him to go 
and brush his 
hair. (He did 
not like to brush 
his hair.) Then 
the milk- man 
came with a bill. 

Then Bushy- 
Tail came to ask Bunny to go nutting 
with him. 

Bunny spoiled the first valentine, 
and so he had to make another. By 
evening it was finished, and he went 



88 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

hippity-hop, hippity-hop, down the 
road to the letter box. 

Now, the letter box was so high that 
Bunny could not reach it. He jumped 
and jumped, to try to reach the place 
where letters are put in. Just then, 
Bushy-Tail came by. “Oh, please 
come here and help me,” cried Bunny. 

But Bushy-Tail acted as though he 
had not heard, and went running off. 

Bunny sat down to think, and pres- 
ently he thought of a plan. There 
were plenty of stones in the road. He 
picked up stones and piled them up 
under the letter-box, and soon he could 
reach very well. He dropped in the 
valentine and went hopping home. 

Now, Bunny Cotton-Tail did not 
know that it took a long time for a 
valentine to get from his home to Cali- 
fornia. There was another thing that 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


89 


Bunny Cotton-Tail did not know: he 
did not know that all the rabbits were 
fond of Susan, and that she was the 
prettiest rabbit in all California; he did 
not know that Susan received forty- 
two valentines! 

So poor little Bunny went hopping 
down to the post office every day, to 
see if there was a letter for 
him from Susan, and every 
day he went hopping 
back without one. 

Bunny was getting 
stiff with rheumatism 
now, and as the weeks 
passed he went only 
once in a while to the 
post office. His^ 
mother was getting 
old, so Bunny rare- . ... 

, 1 f 1 tie dropped tn the 

ly ever left home. valentine” 




90 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 



*'There stood Susan Cot- 
ton-Tail with a little 
bag in her hand^^ 


One evening, 
in early spring. 
Bunny was sit- 
ting out on the 
porch. He had 
his head tied up 
because of the 
rheumatism. He 
heard a sneeze 
and looked up. 
There stood Su- 
san Cotton-Tail 
with a little bag 
in her hand. 

“Oh, my dear 
Bunny!” she 
cried, and “Oh, 
my dear Susan!” 
he said, and then 
Susan Cotton- 
Tail told Bunny 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 91 

that her mother had died, and that she 
was going to live at his house always. 

“But don’t you like California bun- 
nies better than you do me?” asked 
Bunny Cotton-Tail. “And do, please, 
tell me why you never answered my 
valentine.” 

At this Susan Cotton-Tail blushed 
and hung her head, and whispered 
something in Bunny’s ear. I cannot 
tell you what she said, but I do know 
that Susan Cotton-Tail never learned 
to write at school! 


“Oh, ho!” cried Susan Cotton-Tail, 
“California’s very fair. 

But for strange little Bunnies 
I’m sure I do not care.” 



CHAPTER XIV 
A FINE FOX IN A TRAP 

Bunny was so glad to see Susan that 
he did not like to have her go out of 
his sight for a minute. 

All the spring they had beautiful 
times, and all summer they sat out on 
the porch. Then Bunny Cotton-Tail 
taught Susan to read. 

Susan was very proud of learning to 

92 


THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 93 

read. One day she came home from 
the post office alone. Bunny was so 
stiff with the rheumatism that day, 
that it was hard for him to walk. 

When Susan came home she had a 
paper in her hand. When she caught 
sight of Bunny sitting on the porch, 
she waved the paper to and fro. 

“Great news!” she called. “Great 
news!” And she came up and seated 
herself in a little rocking chair by 
Bunny’s side. Then she put on her 
spectacles (you must remember that 
she was getting old), and read: 

“A FINE FOX CAUGHT IN A TRAP!” 

“That must be Bushy-Tail,” said 
Bunny, and those two rabbits talked 
about it for half an hour. 

“I believe the trap was in Farmer 
Jones’s garden,” said Bunny. “He 


94 THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

does have traps.” Then they both 
laughed; do you know why? 

Late that evening Bunny and Susan 
went slowly down the street. Bunny 
was very stiff and Susan helped him 
along. They had business in or near 
Farmer Jones’s garden. They wanted 
to find poor Bushy-Tail. 

“Poor fellow,” said Susan, “he has 
no one to love him!” and sure enough, 
Bushy-Tail had no one to love him. He 
was a sly old fox, and always stole 
chickens. 

The two rabbits came to a garden 
just this side of Farmer Jones’s. Sure 
enough, there was Bushy -Tail caught 
in a trap. When he saw Bunny and 
Susan he cried for jo^^ 

“Take care; don’t hurt your paw,” 
said Susan, as Bunny tried to open the 
trap. 


THE TALE OF BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 


95 



''Susan answered so softly 
that no one but Bunny 
could hear her^ 


It took a long time, but at last 
Bushy-Tail was free. He was so happy 
that he did not know what to do. 

“I will tell you what,” he said, 
“wherever I am next year, I will hang 
up two stockings for Santa Claus to 
fill for you. I don’t care for any pres- 
ent from him myself.” 

At that, they shook paws all around, 
and Bushy-Tail shook Bunny’s paw 
very carefully. Then Susan began to 
tell about California, and Bushy-Tail 
decided to go there at once. 


96 THE TALE OP BUNNY COTTON-TAIL 

“I am glad we set him free,” said 
Bunny as they started for home. 

“I am glad he is going to California,” 
said Susan. 

“Do you really love me better than 
California bunnies?” asked Bunny, 
and Susan answered so softly that no 
one but Bunny could hear her. 

If you want to know if Bushy-Tail 
ever did reach California, and if you 
want to know if he ever did hang up 
stockings for Bunny and Susan, just 
write a letter to Santa Claus and ask 
him! 



THE THREE MISSES COTTONTAIL 

Many, many years ago there lived 
in the swamp near Farmer Hopper’s 
house a happy rabbit family. 

The father rabbit was known far 
and wide as Bunny Cotton-Tail, and 
his wife was called Dame Cotton-Tail. 
I have never been told whether or not 
Mr. and Mrs. Cotton-Tail were rich, 
but I do think they had reason enough 
to feel so, for they had three bright 
little daughters-Jeanie, Nannie, and 
Lolo. 

Rabbit life is not so safe as some 
other lives-not half so safe, for ex- 
ample, as any one of the nine lives of 

97 


98 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

a cat. At least, that is what Father 
Cotton-Tail thought when he met 
the wolf one bright morning. 

Bunny and the wolf were both look- 
ing for breakfast. The wolf got his— 
and that is how Dame Cotton-Tail be- 
came a widow. 

When Jeanie and Nannie and Lolo 
Cotton-Tail were told that their father 
must have been eaten by the wolf, they 
were very sad. They begged their 
mother to build them a house with a 
lock on the door, so that the wolf could 
not get in and eat them. 

Mother Cotton-Tail said she would 
do so. So she started for Farmer 
Hopper’s house, to see what could be 
done. Maybe Mr. Hopper would build 
them a home where her daughters 
might be safe. 

Now it happened that the wolf 


THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 99 



“Jeanie and Nannie and Lolo became orphans” 


Started out from his house to call on 
Farmer Hopper’s hens just about the 
time Mother Cotton-Tail kissed her 
daughters good-by. The wolf met 
Dame Cotton-Tail, and that is how 
Jeanie and Nannie and Lolo became 
orphans. 

When evening came on, Jeanie, who 
was the eldest, said to Lolo, who was 
the youngest of the three Cotton-Tail 
orphans: 


100 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

“Go up to Farmer Hopper’s house 
and get some straw with which to 
build a house where we three can live 
so that the wolf shall not eat us.” 

Lolo went to Farmer Hopper’s 
house as she was told, and got all the 
straw she could carry. Then the three 
Cotton-Tail orphans worked all night, 
and in the morning the house was fin- 
ished. It had two doors that could be 
locked, and a large kitchen, and a 
pantry, and a tower, and everything 
that young rabbit ladies might wish 
for. 

When the work was done, Jeanie 
said: 

“I am the eldest of us girls, and I 
am going to look through the house 
from top to bottom, to see, before we 
move in, whether it is safe and com- 
fortable.” 



''She looked out of the window in the tower and 

called down to thein^ 



102 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

So she went in, and half an hour 
afterward she looked out of the win- 
dow in the tower and called down to 
them: 

“I have locked the doors, and you 
can not come in. The house is just 
what I have always wanted. There is 
not room enough for three to be ver^^ 
comfortable. So you two had better 
go away before the wolf catches you. 
I am going to stay here. Good-by.” 

Then Jeanie Cotton-Tail shut the 
window. Nannie and Lolo began to 
cry, and begged their sister to let them 
in. Jeanie paid no attention to them. 

After a while Nannie and Lolo 
stopped crying, and Nannie said to 
Lolo: 

“Go up to Farmer Hopper’s house 
and get some birch-bark with which to 
build a house, where we two can live 


THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 103 

SO that the wolf shall not eat us.” 

Lolo went to Farmer Hopper’s 
house and got all the birch-bark she 
could carry. 

Then the two Cotton-Tail sisters 
worked all night, and in the morning 
the house was finished. It was even 
prettier than the one Jeanie had taken 
for herself. 

Nannie said to Lolo: 

“I am older than you, and I am 
going to look through the house 
from top to bottom, to see, before 
we move in, whether it is safe and com- 
fortable. And mind you, Lolo, I am 
not going to play a mean trick on you, 
as Jeanie did on us.” 

So Nannie went in, and half an hour 
afterward she looked out of a window 
and said: 

“I have locked the doors, and 


104 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

you can not come in. The house is 
just what I have always wanted. 
There is not room enough for two to 
be very comfortable. You had better 
go away before the wolf catches you. 
I am going to stay here. Good-by.” 

Then Nannie shut the window, and 
Lolo began to cry and beg her sister 
to let her in. But Nannie paid no at- 
tention to her. 

After a while Lolo stopped crying. 
Then she ran again to Farmer Hop- 
pers house, and thumped with her 
hind feet on the floor of the front hall. 
Mr. Hopper came to see what Lolo 
wanted now. 

Then little Miss Cotton-Tail began 
to cry and said: “Please, Mr. Hopper, 
let me have something with which to 
build a house, so that the wolf shall not 
eat me.” 


THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 105 

Mr. Hopper took pity on Lolo, and 
built her a house of stone and iron, 
with a cabbage garden around it. The 
house was much larger than eitjier 
Jeanie’s or Nannie’s, and it looked as 
pretty as could be. 

Lolo thanked Mr. Hopper, and then 
locked her doors and went to bed, for 
she was very tired. 

Meanwhile the wolf had been look- 
ing everywhere for the three Cotton- 
Tail girls. 

Just about the time Lolo went to 
bed he learned from Mr. Hopper’s cat 
that they had built three houses for 
themselves, one of straw, and one of 
birch-bark, and one of stone and iron. 
So he started out to hunt for them. 

First he came to the straw house and 
knocked at the door. 

Jeanie looked out of the tower win- 


106 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

dow, and when she saw the wolf 
called down: 

“Go away! I am not going to open 
the door for you. You ate my father 
and mother, and now you want to eat 
me. Go away!” 

The wolf said: 

“If you do not open the door, I will 
blow your house down.” 

So he blew and blew till the house 
fell over, and he caught Jeanie by the 
neck and ate her. 

“My! Isn’t she tender and sweet!” 
said lie, smacking his lips. “I like her 
even better than her mother, and I 
thought Dame Cotton-Tail was as 
juic3^ a rabbit as could be found. I 
must look up the other Cotton-Tail 
girls now. They will be lonely without 
Jeanie.” 

Then he started off, and before very 




knocked at the 
head out of 


door, and 
one of the 


Nannie popped 
windows’^ 





108 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

long he came to the birch-bark house. 
He knocked at the door, and Nannie 
popped her head out of one of the win- 
dows to see who was there. 

When she saw the wolf she called 
out to him: 

“Go away! I am not going to open 
the door for you. You ate my mother 
and father, and now you want to eat 
me.” 

The wolf said: 

“If you do not open the door I will 
blow your house down.” 

So he blew till the house fell over, 
and he caught Nannie by the neck and 
ate her. 

“This beats anything!” said he, 
smacking his lips. “What a lovely girl 
she is! I do think Nannie is even better 
than Jeanie was, and Jeanie tasted 
better than her mother, and I liked 


THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 109 

Dame Cotton-Tail ever so much better 
than Bunny Cotton-Tail. I have al- 
ways known that rabbit ladies are 
juicier than rabbit gentlemen. Now I 
am beginning to believe that the 
younger a rabbit lady is the sweeter 
she is. What a delicious tidbit Miss 
Lolo Cotton-Tail will make! I must 
call on her and invite her to dinner.” 

So the wolf trotted over to Lolo’s 
house. Lolo was in her cabbage gar- 
den. When she saw the wolf coming 
toward her house, she ran in quickly 
and locked the door behind her. 

The wolf knocked. 

“What do you want, Mr. Wolf?” 
Lolo called through the keyhole. 

“Oh, how do you do. Miss Cotton- 
Tail?” the wolf said in his sweetest 
voice. “I called to invite you out to 
dinner.” 


110 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

“Out to dinner, did you say?” Lolo 
called through the keyhole. “I sup- 
pose you mean in to dinner.” 

The wolf was not at all pleased with 
this joke, but he made believe he did 
not understand. So he said: 

“I do not know what you mean. 
Miss Cotton-Tail.” 

“What I mean,” Lolo said, “is that 
you are not going to eat me for din- 
ner. Do you understand that?” 

The wolf did not give up hope. 

“My dear Miss Cotton-Tail,” he 
said, “who ever told you that I would 
eat you? You are the last rabbit in 
the whole swamp I should ever think 
of eating.” 

“Go away!” Lolo called out. “You 
ate my father and my mother and 
maybe you have eaten my sisters too, 
and now you have come to eat me. 


THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 


111 



You may say what you 
like, I am not going 
to open the door 
for you. 

“Besides,” 
she went 
on, “I would 
have you 
know 
that I 
have a 
tele- 
phone 
in my 




would have you know that I have a telephone 
in my house*^ 


112 THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 

house. I can call over to Farmer Hop- 
per and ask him to send his big dogs 
around to chase you away.” 

Then the wolf got very angry and 
said: 

“You saucy snip of a Cotton-Tail 
girl! If you do not open the door this 
minute, I will blow your house down,” 

“You ought to be ashamed to call 
me names,” Lolo cried. “Now I will 
not open the door at all.” 

Then the wolf blew, and blew, and 
blew, and--blew so hard that he burst. 

And then-0 wonder! 

Mr. Bunny Cotton-Tail and Dame 
Cotton-Tail and Jeanie and Nannie 
came out all safe and sound. Lolo 
looked out of the window, and when 
she saw what had happened she ran 
and opened the door, and all the Cot- 
ton-Tail family were together again. 


THE THREE MISSES COTTON-TAIL 


113 


Jeanie and Nannie felt ashamed of 
the way they had acted, and told Lolo 
so. But Lolo kissed them, and said 
she had forgiven them. 

Then Dame Cotton-Tail went to the 
kitchen to cook dinner, and Father 
Cotton-Tail whistled a Virginia reel, 
and the three Misses Cotton-Tail 
danced till dinner was ready. 

— Ossian Lang, 



HOW KING RABBIT LOST 
HIS THRONE 

Once there was a King Rabbit. 
Whenever he was hungry, he raised 
his two long ears. When he was study- 
ing, he dropped his right ear. When 
he was thinking very hard, he raised 
the right ear and dropped the left. 

When the King Rabbit was thinking 
it was always about his name. He 
wondered why he was called King 
Rabbit. One day just as he woke up, 
the thought came to him that he ought 
to be king of the rabbits. 

“What is the use of being called King 
Rabbit when you are not a king?” he 
said to himself. “If the other rabbits 

114 



'‘All he did from morning to night was to eat 

and scold^^ 


116 HOW KING RABBIT LOST HIS THRONE 

call me King Rabbit, they ought to 
treat me as their king.” So he ran to 
the old tree stump just outside of Wil- 
son’s woods, and began to drum with 
his fore drumsticks. This brought to- 
gether all the rabbits living in the 
woods. 

When they were all gathered 
around, the King Rabbit climbed into 
the stump and let both his ears hang. 
The rabbits had never seen him hang 
both ears, and they wondered what it 
meant. 

“I suppose you would like to know 
why I called you together,” he said. 
“Well, then, listen to me.” 

The King Rabbit put his left paw on 
his heart and asked: “Do you know 
who I am?” 

“Of course we do,” they all shouted. 

“Who am I?” 


HOW KING RABBIT LOST HIS THRONE 117 

“You are the King Rabbit.” 

“Very well,” said the King Rabbit. 
“You say it yourselves— that I am the 
King Rabbit. It means that I am the 
king of all the rabbits. There can be 
no longer any doubt about it. I am 
your king. Do you understand?” 

The rabbits were puzzled. They 
looked at one another and talked the 
matter over. And as the rabbits are 
honest people, and do not like to fight, 
they said: 

‘^he King Rabbit is right. We 
must do him no wrong. If we call him 
the King Rabbit we ought to treat him 
as a king.” 

So they all bowed and fell on their 
paws and cried: “Long live the king!” 

The King Rabbit found a tree 
stump that looked like a throne and 
sat on it. And the other rabbits had 


118 HOW KING RABBIT LOST HIS THRONG 

to serve him and bring him things to 
eat. 

The King Rabbit was not satisfied 
with any but the best food. He said 
the king of rabbits ought to have the 
sweetest clover, and the juiciest grass, 
the largest kohlrabi, the whitest 
turnips and the crispest cabbage 
leaves. And as for apples and pears, 
he said they grew especially for the 
king of the rabbits, and no one else 
must eat them. 

When the clover was not sweet 
enough to suit him, or the grass not 
juicy enough, or the kohlrabi not large 
enough, or the turnips not white 
enough, or if the cabbage leaves had 
the least little speck on them. King 
Rabbit would scold and threaten. All 
he did from morning to night was to 
eat and scold. 


HOW KING RABBIT LOST HIS THRONE 119 

The King Rabbit grew fatter every 
day. Meanwhile the other rabbits 
were growing thinner. It had been 
hard enough to find food before they 
had a king. Now they had less to eat, 
and were scolded roundly every day 
besides. This made them cross. 

So one day the rabbits came to- 
gether without saying anything about 
it to the King Rabbit. 

“What is the use of a king who only 
eats and scolds?” they said to one 
another. “If we could only get rid of 
him!” 

The oldest rabbit stood up and 
said: 

“Let us ask the owl what he 
thinks about it. He lives in a hollow 
tree and studies all day long. He 
ought to know the law.” 

So the rabbits appointed a commit- 


120 HOW KING RABBIT LOST HIS THRONE 

tee of three to talk to the wise old owl. 

The owl listened very carefully. 
Then he opened his big eyes wide and 
then shut them for a long time. Then 
he opened them, then he shut them. 
Then he scratched his head with his 
right claw, and said: “Oo-whoo, oo- 
whoo, oo-whoo,” three times. 

Then he opened his right eye and 
said: 

“The King Rabbit is not king of 
the rabbits. If he were king of the rab- 
bits, he would be called Rabbit King 
instead of King Rabbit.” 

When the three rabbits of the com- 
mittee heard this they turned seven 
somersaults, and thanked the owl with 
three cheers and a tiger. Then they 
ran back as fast as they could and 
told the other rabbits what the owl 
had said. 


f « 



^^They ran hack as fast as they could^^ 




122 HOW KING RABBIT LOST HIS THRONE 

There was great joy among all the 
rabbits. They formed in line and with 
the oldest rabbit at the head, they 
marched to the tree stump which 
the King Rabbit called his throne. 

The King Rabbit wondered that 
they did not bow before him, and he 
raised his right ear. 

Before he had time to think much 
about it, the rabbits formed a ring 
about him. The oldest rabbit took a 
long turnip top in his left forepaw. 
Then with his right foot he kicked the 
King Rabbit from the throne, while he 
beat him with the turnip top. 

Ever since that day the King Rab- 
bit has been called Jack Rabbit 

— Ossian Lang, 


A BLACK AND WHITE BUNNY 

Bunny and Susan were sitting by 
the fire one cool evening, when they 
heard a tap-tap-tap, on the window 
pane. 

“What is that?” said Susan. 

Bunny Cotton-Tail had just waked 
up from a nap, and he wanted to go to 
sleep again, so he said he thought it 
was the old gray cat that prowled 
around at night. Susan said it made 
her think of Bushy-Tail to hear a rap 
on the window. 

Tap-tap-tap-Susan heard it again, 
so she went to the window and looked 
out, and what do you suppose she 

123 


124 A BLACK AND WHITE BUNNY 

saw? The dearest little black and 
white Bunny waiting to come in! 

Then Susan opened the window and 
let that dear little rabbit in, and Bunny 
Cotton-Tail waked up again. He was 
wide awake in a minute now, for that 
funny little rabbit jumped right up 
into his lap. 

Bunny and Susan were very good 
to the little rabbit, you may be sure. 

He told them that 
he had no name, 
and he belonged 
to no one, so they 
said he might live 
with them and 
they would call 
him Bunny Boy. 

Susan gave him 
a nice dish of car- 

" Waiting to come in” rOtS. My! h O W 



A BLACK AND WHITE BUNNY 125 

that rabbit did eat! He ate so fast that 
his ears kept bobbing back and forth 
all the time. He had very bad man- 
ners, for he took another piece of car- 
rot while he had one piece sticking out 
of his mouth! 

Susan wanted to brush his fur, but 
Bunny Boy said his back was sore. 
Then Bunny Cotton-Tail said he 
might go to bed and be brushed next 
day. 

While Susan Cotton-Tail made up a 
little bed of straw for Bunny Boy, 
Bunny Cotton-Tail talked to him. 

“Have you ever read by candle 
light?” he asked. 

Bunny Boy shook his head. 

“Have you ever read by daylight?” 

Again Bunny Boy shook his head, 
and suddenly he gave a spring and 
jumped right up on the table. He upset 


126 A BLACK AND WHITE BUNNY 

it, and he and the candle and a fine 
glass dish fell on the floor! 

When Bunny Boy saw what mis- 
chief he had done, he curled up in a 
little bunch on the floor. 

“Help! help!” called Bunny Cotton- 
Tail. 

Susan ran in, but she did not scold; 
for Bunny Boy looked so little and 
afraid, curled up there on the floor, 
that she was sorry for him. 

“Perhaps he is not used to tables,” 
said Susan. Then she just cuddled 
that naughty little rabbit up in her 
arms and put him to bed. 

When Susan came back. Bunny Cot- 
ton-Tail sat with his thinking cap on. 
(This cap was made of red velvet and 
Bunny said it made his ears feel warm 
and helped him to think!) 

“Well,” said Susan, “it seems nice 


A BLACK AND WHITE BUNNY 


127 



upset it, and fell on the floor ^ 


to have a child in the house.” 

“Such a child!” said Bunny. “What 
did he see on the table?” 

“It was a cabbage leaf,” said Susan, 
and they both laughed, 

“I wonder if he will be good,” said 


128 A BLACK AND WHITE BUNNY 

Susan, and Bunny whistled a little. 

“I wonder if he will run away,” said 
Bunny. 

Bunny Boy fell asleep. He thought 
he was in the woods and he felt so 
lonesome that he began to talk out 
loud. 

He said, “Here I am!” Then a 
solemn voice answered, “Who? who?” 
and Bunny Boy was much afraid. 

Suddenly he remembered that owls 
always call out “Who?” and he looked 
over head and saw Fluffy Ball sitting 
in a tree. Fluffy Ball was a very small 
owl, and Bunny Boy began to talk to 
her. 

All at once, there was a great crash, 
and the tree in which Fluffy Ball was 
sitting fell to the ground. Then Bunny 
Boy woke up, and he told his dream to 
Susan. 



\ 





